By Manal El Warraky
Belgian Ambassador to Cairo Bart De Groof confirmed the existence of long-standing relations between the two countries, embodied in many royal visits, the latest of which was last year by Queen Mathilde and her daughter Crown Princess Elizabeth, where they recalled the memory of Queen Elizabeth’s great trip in 1922 when she eagerly visited Egypt to watch the excavations of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
He added, during a ceremony organized by the Belgian Embassy on the occasion of King’s Day: We certainly look forward to continuing to strengthen our excellent bilateral relations with Egypt, which is a strategic partner for Belgium and the European Union, as we appreciate the pivotal role it plays in the region on the political and humanitarian levels.
The ambassador continued: Our bilateral economic relations are excellent, as evidenced by many joint projects such as the Grand Egyptian Museum, which was established with the Belgian company Besix and an Egyptian company, as well as the green hydrogen project signed by the Hyport Group during the Egyptian-European Investment Forum last June.
He continued: We also look forward to new areas of cooperation including academic and cultural exchange, health initiatives, circular migration formulas, and further growth in our trade and investment relations in close cooperation with our trade office and the Egyptian-Belgian Businessmen Association.
He stressed that consular assistance will remain among our priorities – whether to support Belgian citizens in Egypt or to assist in future evacuations from Gaza – in close coordination with Egypt.
In another context, the ambassador said: Belgium is a strong supporter of the United Nations as the multilateral pillar of the international system, and UN agencies such as UNRWA must be able to continue to play their important role in accordance with the UN Charter.
He appreciated Egypt’s ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis, including negotiations to achieve a ceasefire and release hostages, thanking Egypt for the continuous and diligent work carried out by the Egyptian Red Crescent in cooperation with the United Nations in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as the fruitful cooperation we have witnessed with Egypt in humanitarian relief operations for Belgians.
